Madison Originals Magazine Madison Originals Magazine February 2012 | Page 11
MadisonOriginalsMagazine.com | 11 Assistant Chief Judge Tom Czmowski (left) presents a sample for
evaluation to Dr. Richard Ellner of Germany during the Championship
Round of the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest. will rub shoulders with cheesemakers
and judges, taste a dozen different
international cheeses, and share the
anticipation of the live announcement of
the 2012 champion. The event is hosted
by Wisconsin Cheese Originals and the
World Championship Cheese Contest,
with tickets available for $25, in advance
only, at WisconsinCheeseOriginals.com.
Even though a Wisconsin cheese hasn�t
won the World Champion award since
1982, when a Colby from Hook�s Cheese
in Mineral Point took top honors, contest
organizers say Wisconsin cheeses
routinely stack up in the top tier. As
proof, in 2010, Wisconsin cheeses won
73 ribbons, including 21 Best of Class
medals. Put in perspective, Wisconsin cheeses overshadowed the gold medal distinctions of Canada, Netherlands, and Denmark combined.Will a Wisconsin cheese be named the big winner this year? No one knows for sure, but Wisconsin cheesemakers are long overdue for a win. In any case, the World Championship Cheese Contest promises to deliver a two-pack punch of good cheese with good company. Jeanne Carpenter is the Executive
Director of Wisconsin Cheese Originals�.
For more information on
Wisconsin Cheese Originals,
visit wisconsincheeseoriginals.com.
Photographs provided by Wisconsin
Cheese Makers Association . moving to the nal round. These �Best
in Class� winners then compete head
to head on the last day of competition,
as all judges independently score each
cheese again to determine the World
Champion. In 2010, Cedric Vuille of
Switzerland�s Fromagerie de La Brevine
was awarded the World Champion
Cheese honor for his Gruyere, which
scored an impressive 98.79 out of 100
possible points.
Like many of its featured cheeses, the
World Championship Cheese Contest is
a well-aged and prestigious event. Since
its inception as the �World Cheddar
Championship� in 1957, the contest has
grown rapidly an d is now the largest
technical evaluation of cheese and butter
in the world.
�The Contest is a unique opportunity
to view thousands of cheeses made in
hundreds of styles from all over the
world,� says John Umhoefer, executive
director of the Wisconsin Cheese
Makers Association, which hosts the
biennial event. �We are honored to host
the world�s largest technical evaluation
of cheese and butter right here in
Madison.�
While contest results, images, and
video will be posted live during the
competition at worldchampioncheese
.org, this year the public will have the
rare chance to witness the nal round of
judging in person, as well as meet each
international judge and taste more than
a dozen of the contest�s best cheeses.
On the evening of March 7, local cheese
lovers may join world champions at An
Evening at the World Championship
Cheese Contest, where 400 attendees